JAG Elementary
Grades PreK-6 Newsletter
October 6, 2023 - Volume 2, Issue 2
The GMEN Editors
Dear JAG Elementary Families,
Last year, students in grades 3-6 created this newsletter. It was so well received that we included all grade levels at the elementary school. The GMEN now includes PreK-6 information. Each month, the newsletter will be emailed and texted to JAG families. Some grade levels may have more information, and teachers may still communicate with their families through weekly or monthly newsletters. Our students take pride in their learning and school activities, and we are excited to be able to share this newsletter with you. Please send us any feedback or suggestions.
Sincerely,
Sarah Tsironis, PreK Teacher, stsironis@jagschools.org
Emily Paes, Kindergarten Teacher, epaes@jagschool.org
Susie Beach, Grade 1 Teacher, ebeach@jagschools.org
Kristina Cupples, Grade 2 Teacher, kcupples@jagschools.org
Lisa Porter, Grade 3 Teacher, lporter@jagschools.org
Alisa Westover, Grade 4 Teacher, awestover@jagschools.org
Kristin Brahler, Grade 5 Teacher, kbrahler@jagschools.org
Beth Drebus, Grade 6 Teacher, bdrebus@jagschools.org
James A. Garfeld Local SD
Mission
In partnership with parents and the community, we educate and prepare lifelong learners to be successful members of society.
Vision
By 2028, 95% of JAG students will participate in a co-curricular, extra-curricular, or mentorship opportunity that increases self-awareness, academic achievement and contributes to post-graduate success.
JAG Elementary Important Links
JAG Elementary Website - https://www.jagschools.org/o/jag-elementary
Final Forms - https://garfield-oh.finalforms.com/
Supply Lists - https://www.jagschools.org/o/jag-elementary/documents/supply-lists/10508
GES News - http://tiny.cc/GESNews
Weekly Slideshow - http://tiny.cc/GESslideshow
Lunch Menu - https://www.myschoolmenus.com/instance/309/district/17
Progress Book - https://parentaccess.access-k12.org/Home/District/JA
JAG Elementary Calendar
Title I Parent Night
Wednesday, October 11
6:00-7:00 pm
Charles C. Klamer PD Center
3rd Grade Walking Field Trip
Thursday, October 12
9:15-3:00 pm
NO SCHOOL
NEOEA Day
Friday, October 13
Grades 5 & 6 Band Youth Night
Friday Night Football, October 13
6:00 pm
PK & K PBIS Night
Thursday, October 19
5:30 pm
PK & K Classroom and Elementary Library
Coffee with the Principals
Thursday, October 19
9:00 - 10:00 am
Charles C. Klamer PD Center
Third Grade- Fall ELA Testing
Thursday, October 19
Friday, October 20
Third Grade - Testing Make-Ups
Monday, October 23
Wednesday, October 25
PTO Book Fair
Monday, October 23- Friday, October 27
Charles C. Klamer PD Center
Parent/Teacher Conferences
Grades Pre-K-2
Monday, Oct. 23 & Wednesday, Oct. 25
4:30-8:00 & 4:30-7:30 pm
Grades 3-6
Tuesday, Oct. 24 & Thursday, Oct. 26
4:30-8:00 & 4:30-7:30 pm
End of Marking Period 1, Grades 3-6
Friday, October 27
PTO Trunk or Treat
Sunday, October 29
5:00-6:00 PM
Elementary School Parking Lot
5th Grade Camp Fitch Parent Meeting
Wednesday, November 1
5:30 PM
Charles C. Klamer PD Center
Grades 3-6 Report Cards Available online
Friday, November 3
Report Cards Mailed Home
Friday, November 3
PTO Meeting
Tuesday, November 7
6:00-7:30
Charles C. Klamer PD Center
5th Grade Camp Fitch
Monday, November 20, 21 and 22
End of Marking Period 1, K-2
Friday, November 17
K- 2 Report Cards Available online
Wednesday, November 29
K-2 Report Cards Mailed Home
Friday, December 1
Lower Elementary - Grades PreK-2
Pre-Kindergarten
Our youngest students are off to a great start! We learned about bus safety with one of our drivers, Mrs. Kristoff. For some, it was their very first time on a school bus. We learned the rules to face forward, back to back, seat to seat. All of the students earned a bus safety brag tag! This lesson prepared us for our class field trip coming up in October. We are very excited to see the Garrettsville Fire Station.
As the year began, we learned how to build and draw Mat Man. Mat Man is from our Get Set for School curriculum. It teaches us to draw the parts of a body and add details. We use big lines, little lines, big curves, and little curves as our pre-writing strokes to draw.
Kindergarten
Ms. Chitwood's Class
Mrs. Livingston's Class
Mrs. Paes' Class
At the end of the month, each class celebrated Johnny Appleseed's birthday with Apple Centers. We invited families into our classrooms to rotate through apple-related centers and, of course, enjoy some delicious apple treats! The students really enjoyed being able to have their families in to join their learning fun! We look forward to what this year has in store for us!
1st Grade
Meet The Ladies of First Grade
Ms. Beach is the newest first-grade teacher. She has only been teaching first grade for one month. She previously spent 18 years in kindergarten and finally decided to graduate to the next level. Her favorite color is orange, she loves to play pickleball, and her food addictions are cookies and coffee. When she isn’t at school, she is home playing with her Golden Retrievers.
Mrs. Lippert has taught for 23 years and at the first-grade level for 16 years. She likes the color blue. When she gets the chance, she likes to head out and go camping. Her favorite food is salad. She loves seeing the “learning lightbulb” turn on with her students.
Mrs. Robinette is entering her 19th year at the first-grade level. She loves to play golf with her family during the summer and when we have warm spring and fall weather. Her favorite color is pink, and her favorite guilty pleasure is chocolate cake with chocolate icing.
Mrs. Rose started teaching first grade at James A. Garfield Elementary 4 years ago. She was a teacher for six years previously. She has fun walking her dog when she is not in school. Her favorite color is purple, and her favorite food is pizza – yum!
Now for a little First Ladies Quiz:
We have one fact per teacher that we think few know about us. Please read the fact and decide who the fact is about. The answers will be printed in our next newsletter. We hope you enjoy it!
_________ Was a swim coach and later went on to start a swim team within her community.
________ Was mentioned in Sports Illustrated as a freshman in High School for her outstanding softball pitching. She still is ranked 3rd in Ohio.
_________Won a horseback race where the rider had to canter to the end of the ring, jump off her horse, bob for an apple, and canter back to the finish.
_________ Drove a Jeep Wrangler for many years and has a child getting married this fall.
2nd Grade
Butterflies!
Donuts!
Mrs. Landrum is making Place Value Donuts with Mrs. Stark's class.
Math! Oh My!
Friends from Hiram College are coming in and working with all of our Second Grade classes in math. How fun!
Our Second Grade Students of the Month on a very Wacky Wednesday! Great Job!!!
From the Desk of Mrs. Craine
We've had a wonderful start to the school year. I am so excited to be working with your students another year at James A. Garfield Elementary. Conferences are right around the corner. Grades PK-2 will be October 23rd and 25th. Grades 3-6 will be on October 24th and 26th. You will be able to sign up for a conference starting October 12th at 4 PM. Your student's teacher will share a link with you, and we will also send a notification to your mobile number with the link.
Kindness is our JAG Core Value and an expectation on our PBIS Matrix. Your student may be earning points at school for showing kindness during the school day.
Sincerely,
Mrs. Rachelle Craine I PreK-2 Principal
Upper Elementary - Grades 3-6
3rd Grade
Welcome Back to School with PBIS!
PBIS is off to a great start in third grade. PBIS is a program where kids earn points by being respectful, responsible, engaged, and kind. Our class has earned points for demonstrating one or more of our core values. We can earn points by sitting quietly while our teacher is on the carpet reading a book, being respectful during our math lesson, or being kind and helpful to our friends when they need help. At the end of each month, our teacher allows our class to visit her store where we can choose prizes, earn a class party, have a special guest reader, go outside and enjoy a nature walk, or have a popsicle party. PBIS makes our classroom a very exciting place!
Written by Evelyn Laning and Gracie Wright
Townhall II Body and Internet Safety
This month, Townhall II came to our school to present Body and Internet safety to all third-grade students. We learned tips on how to stay safe and when to tell a trusted adult. Our presenter taught us about the dangers of the internet. We learned that if someone is cyberbullying you, immediately tell a trusted adult. Another important tip to remember is to never give out your personal information to a stranger on social media, the internet, and most importantly, on a gaming console such as Xbox or PlayStation. Finally, we learned to make sure you never download games without an adult's permission. This program helped teach us how to stay safe at home and school.
Written by Landyn Hunsicker and Max Ochwat
Embracing Futures- Oral Health Program
On Friday, September 29, Embracing Futures- Dr. Milton Rubin Oral Health Education Program out of Akron presented a program to our third-grade students. The presenter, Anna Film, talked to us about the importance of brushing and flossing to remove the plaque from our teeth. She showed us what plaque looks like when we don't brush and floss. Ms. Film asked someone in our class to put their hand in chocolate pudding, so we could see what plaque looks like on our teeth. Then she wiped off the pudding with a paper towel to show how we brush. We couldn't believe how much pudding was still between the fingers. She told us that's why it's important to floss every day. Then, she showed us how to properly brush our teeth using her giant toothbrush. Before she left, she gave each student a bag with a toothbrush, toothpaste, floss, and a calendar to help us keep track of our daily brushing and flossing. It was a fun day!
Written by Evelyn Laning and Gracie Wright
Brush daily!
Floss daily!
Remove the plaque from our teeth.
4th Grade
Butterflies in Fourth Grade
Building a Classroom Community
Teamwork, Respectful Talk, and Classroom Community
Growing and Changing in Fourth Grade: A Butterfly Experience
One day, we came into Mrs. Crawley's room and saw a little nest in a blue bucket with one caterpillar and two or three eggs. Then we had a lot of questions and needed answers, so we started researching!
We started with one caterpillar and three eggs. The eggs can only be found on Milkweed plants. We gave two eggs to Ms. Davis. Mrs. Crawley found one more caterpillar in her garden and brought it in.
We have been doing a lot of ReadWorks about Butterflies. We learned that they are pollinators, and they taste with their feet! If you touch their wings, they can’t fly because we have toxins on our hands.
On Friday, one of our caterpillars went into the chrysalis. When we got back on Monday, it was out of the chrysalis and was a monarch butterfly! We didn't name it because we had to release it right away. It needs to be released because it needs space to fly away. Our class went out to the garden at recess and released it. We are still waiting for the other chrysalis to hatch. It can take up to two weeks for it to hatch, so we have to wait.
It was an amazing project that was interesting to learn what butterflies can and can’t do. It was so cool to watch!
Written by Grant Haddox and Kendall Swigonski (Mrs. Crawley's class)
Salazar the Pet Snake by Noah Molle
Every Friday, Mrs. Beck brings in her pet snake, Salazar. She lets 2 to 3 people hold him every week. In the fourth week, I got to hold him. You can not scream around Salazar. He might bite you, or you could hurt him. Mrs. Beck taught us not to bend his body, his scales are like fingernails that hurt bad when you bend them back. She said we can hold him around our necks or she would lay him in our hands that are facing upward. He does crawl through our fingers and up your arms if he’s not around your neck. He is a bigger snake so he doesn’t curl up in your hands.
Mrs. Beck and Ms. Westover’s classes are the only ones who get to hold him for now. Mrs. Crawley’s and Mrs. Smith’s classes have visited Salazar. I like when Salazar comes to school on Fridays because he is a good-looking snake.
Building Classroom Communities with JAG Leader Qualities: By Max Russo and Ryder Hoover
We have been learning the JAG Leader Qualities since the first day of school in fourth grade. In Ms. Westover’s class, she gives us a “test activity” each week to see if we can work together to be kind, be engaged, be responsible, and be respectful to each other.
In the first week, we made paper chains. There were six teams trying to make the longest paper chain. Each group only got one pair of scissors, one piece of paper, and one roll of tape. You have to work together to make the longest paper chain in 10 minutes. Each group had its own strategies but needed to use our JAG Leader Qualities when talking with each other to complete the task.
The second week, we did Saving Fred. Saving Fred is where you have a gummy worm (Fred), a gummy lifesaver, a cup, and four poles (paper clips). Fred starts in the cup, then gets flipped out, and you need to get the lifesaver on him without touching anything but the poles. Then you have to get Fred back to the cup. The cup is flipped over. Not only do you have to get him in the cup, but you have to flip the cup with the paper clips and then put him in the cup upright.
Last week, we played a game where you have a rubber band with four strings tied to it. You must put it around the cup without touching the rubber band, only touching the strings and working together. We practiced just moving the cups and flipping them. Then, we had to make formations.
The first challenge was easy, and it was a 5-cup pyramid with all the cups facing down. The second was very hard. It was a diamond shape. It had cups going in both directions on top of each other, and it was hard to put them on top of each other. Many groups got really frustrated. We had to stop to talk about JAG LEADER qualities and how to talk to each other respectfully. We continued to work on the diamond shape. Ms.Westover said we would do this activity again to practice more.
Array’s and Numbers: by Gracie Vincent
We did tile arrays in Mrs. Smith’s and Mrs. Beck's math classes. First, we chose our teams of two. Secondly, we were assigned number cards, and the teacher gave us a giant sheet of paper. Next, you and your partner find a seat and get to work. You choose one of your postcards and get the same amount of tiles as you chose. Then, you put into as many arrays as you can. Although you might want to do a bunch of arrays, you might get a prime number instead of a composite number. A prime number is a number you can only make one array and composite numbers, you can at least make one. Once you make as many as you can, then you can get extras. The next day we cut it out and made a poster out of it. We used the posters in class to help us with math-solving strategies.
5th Grade
Students walking on our new JAG track for the walk a thon.
Earning money to help pay for their trips to Camp Fitch
Camp Fitch by Katlyn Knerem
We all are so excited for Camp Fitch this year for the fifth graders, but there are some friendly reminders that we need to go over.
The first reminder is about the Walkathon this year. How it works is you walk to help raise money to help pay for camp this year. You walk, and for every mile you walk, you get money. Don’t forget it is on Wednesday, October 4, after school from 4:00 to 5:30. One more thing to remember is that the Walk-a-thon pledge sheet is due Monday, October 2, 2023.
Next, we have the parent-teacher meeting on Wednesday, November 1, 2023, at 5:30 p.m. in the PD room so parents/guardians can discuss the camp and the payments. They are talking about everything they need to take care of the things required.
Lastly, the trip must be paid for on November 8, 2023, through the MySchoolBucks student account. Remember the Medication slips that have to be signed by your parent/guardian and doctor. It is due November 14, 2023. We are excited about camp this year, and I hope to see all the fifth graders there on November, 20,21,22 of 2023. Thank you, and have a great Thanksgiving!!!
Fifth Grade Recess Football by Rhys Haney, Beau Cain, Everett Thompson, and Hank Ochwat
Go outside to recess any day of the week, and you will see a serious game of Recess Football being played. Each month, Rhys, Beau, Everett, and Hank will update you on the games. Here are the results for the last week of September...
Score Monday: Rhys’s team 21 Beau’s team 14 MVP Hank caught all 14 points for Beau's team and had 3 or 4 catches and one pick.
Score Tuesday: Rhys’ team 14 Beau’s team 14 MVP Rhys because he had one pick-six and kick return touchdown.
Score Wednesday: Rhys’ Team 14 and Beau’s Team 14. The MVP was Beau because he threw a lot of passing yards. This was one of the best games Beau has had.
Score Thursday: Rhys’ team 21 Beaus team 14 MVP was Everett because he had five catches and one touchdown.
Score Friday: Rhys’ team 14, Beau’s team 21. The MVP was Beau because he threw for many yards and had good passes.
Overalls: Rhys 99, Beau 99, Hank 98, Jack 95, Cade 95, Johny 94, Everett 93, Hayden 92, Cairo91, Wesley 89, Cole 84, Kaiden 80, Kolten 79, Logan 75, Nathan 78, Zayne 73
SLT Spirit Week by Sawyer Hill and Acie Korosec
Attention all g-men, THANK YOU for showing your school spirit…
THERE WAS A SCHOOL SPIRIT WEEK FROM OCTOBER 2 to 6. The student leadership team, also known as SLT, made this spirit week! We enjoyed the school's students and staff who participated.
The days were…
Monday: PJ/ movie day! Please remember, No slippers! 💤
Tuesday: crocs and socks day! Wear fun tube socks 🧦
Wednesday: wacky wednesday 😻 🙈 😜 🫠 👁️ 👄 👁️ 🐒
Thursday: farm/country day 🧑🌾 🐷 🐄 🐔 🐴
Friday: G-men/ black and gold/sports day 🏐🏅🏀 🏈
Thanks to our SLT, we had a great fun week. We saw some fun G-men spirit! We couldn't wait to see all the school spirit. Also, SLT is a great way for your kids to help the school in awesome and fun patterns like Spirit Week, Veterans Day, assemblies, and so much more. Consider signing up to get in next year if you are interested.
There will be sign-ups to do SLT for next year at the end of this year! Let's thank our slt for all they have done for spirit week! Also, thank Mrs. Ring and Mrs. Crawley for helping. We’re hoping to have a great week! Have a great day, and go g-men. 🏫 😀 🧑🌾 👍 thank you for reading our article.
Spirit Day Crocs and Socks!
6th Grade
News, Kindness, and Fun activities from the 6th-Graders
Hello! This is the important news for October! We will go to Washington, D.C., from May 22 to May 23, 2024. The cost for everything will be $344. We had the walk-a-thon to lower the cost on October 4th. Please collect your sponsorship money ASAP if you still need to. You can register for the trip by October 15th. To register: go to Premiertourandtravel.com. Our group # is 24-140, password - gmen
PARENTS/GUARDIANS - If you did not attend the Washington D.C. parent meeting on September 26th, please email Mrs. Drebus or Mrs. Hill with any questions.
This is the schedule for October! Happy Spooky Season!
LANGUAGE ARTS- We will write a Halloween story with a matching Halloween monster in language arts!
SCIENCE- In science, we are studying matter because matter matters! (Mr. Wright wanted us to add that in there…) We will also be doing some experiments.
MATH- Students in AP math will continue to do the program ZEARN. Mr. McDowell says he doesn't plan this far ahead, so we will just do the usual math stuff. 😂
SOCIAL STUDIES- Students will be reviewing map skills.
Kindness Corner by Emilia Maynard
Hello there, and welcome to “Kindness Corner!” I think it is important to be kind. You don’t always have to agree with the person, but you should still be kind and treat them with respect!! Sometimes, it is hard to be kind. Sometimes, you might even ponder, What does it mean to be kind? Being kind means to treat others how you would like to be treated, even when it is hard. It also means to be selfless, caring, compassionate, and understand others. While you have opinions, don’t say the mean ones out loud. Keep the bad ones inside and the good ones outside. Anytime you need cheering up, if you have been kind before, people will be kind back to you. Be kind!
Seasonal Smile Makers
Have you ever wondered about Random Act of Kindness ideas?? Well, look no further than below, because below is a list of seasonal Random Acts of Kindnesses!! Read and be inspired:
5 Fall RAKs:
Help someone rake leaves.
Help someone carve a pumpkin.
Help take a kid, you know, Trick or Treating.
Put a goody bag on someone’s doorstep.
Send a neighbor or a family member a surprise Happy Fall Card
You will make lots of people have a happy fall with these RAKs!!
Eye on the Kind
In this section, I will be sharing about people who were kind! The people who have been seen being kind will be reported in this monthly newspaper. The person who saw her/him being kind will be named at the bottom of the compliment. Some people who saw kindness wanted to be anonymous. Remember, even if you did not get caught being kind, still be kind always!!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
1. Owen F.: He was very caring and helped cheer me up -Sophia E.
2. Emily W.: She was very sympathetic and helped me with a math problem. -Jedi F.
3. Jasmine W.: She was kind and shared her coloring supplies with me when I forgot them -Taylor W.
4. Chloe W.: She has been very kind and gave me a compliment on my outfit -Sophia E.
Fun for Students - Grades 3-6 by Knox Paul and Haley Masters
Alert! Alert!
Attention students, our new cartoon character, Terry The Nerd, has gotten his bookbag stolen! He needs your help to track the clues, enter the secret images, and crack the case. (not a literal case.) There was something Terry said that might interest you. . . Terry says that the first person to find his bookbag gets a lovely surprise.
How this will work
Clues are hidden around the school. As you find the clues, keep them where you found them and draw the secret image on a separate piece of paper. Once you find all the clues, the thief will ask for your paper to know if you really found the clues. All grades may participate. If two people find the bookbag at the same time, you will have to rock, paper, scissors for the prize. This will begin next week.
HAVE FUN SEARCHING!
Your first clue:
Hallway with a K Terry T. Nerd’s Bookbag
PS: Secret image: 4. Also, only write the secret image. Do not take the clue.
Sunflower Painting
Mrs. Stock helping Piper and Layla with their artwork.
Knox's Atom Super Hero
Abby's Atom Super Hero
From the Desk of Dr. Ensinger
Dear JAG Families,
Kindness is the October JAG Core Value. Our student leadership groups are planning activities and events around kindness. Students earned 3,722 PBIS JAG coins for being respectful in September. Please email me if you want to be a parent committee member reviewing the SEL/Core Value curriculum for grades 3-6 students. This committee will meet three times from October to December to align the curriculum with our core values.
I am proud and impressed by our student writers and appreciate the newsletter editors who support and encourage our students daily. Thank you for encouraging your students.
Sincerely,
Dr. Melinda Ensinger | Principal, Grades 3-6
#BeExcellentOnPurpose